


even lovers drown

by cassanabaratheon



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-02-26 16:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2658194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassanabaratheon/pseuds/cassanabaratheon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somewhere, down on the shadowy seabed, a lord and lady were concealed there; turning out their years together in their watery grave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	even lovers drown

**Author's Note:**

> this whole fic is based off of my fanmix for them which can be found [HERE](http://8tracks.com/themirrorofsin/even-lovers-drown)

~ i ~

A pale green ribbon was wound through the braids of her dark hair that circled her head like a crown. That was the first thing that he noticed as she was presented to his family. He peeked up at his mother who, in turn, glanced at him and he saw that she was smiling warmly as if pleased by this girl. He inwardly frowned and went back to looking at the girl and saw that her eyes were a startling sea-glass in colour, and she watched him with a mild curiosity of her own. Slightly irritated that he had been caught staring, he set his eyes on that ribbon, eyes tracing it as it weaved in and out and he was confused by the fact that he wanted to tug it free, to have her hair wild around her like waves. He shifted slightly on his feet and caught the tentative smile she sent him that strengthened when he responded in kind.

And they smiled and glanced at one another many times over her short stay at Storm’s End.

 

~ ii ~

 

They were a little older when they met again and this time was it the Estermonts who were hosting them at Greenstone. She danced with her brothers during the feast and moved gracefully in time to the fast-paced melody, twisting and turns whilst giggling at the absurd teasing of her siblings. His mother, who he was seated next to, leaned forward to pour him some wine whilst murmuring that perhaps he should join her in a dance. Steffon’s brow furrowed at the suggestion. Why would he want to dance with her?

His mother smiled cryptically and answered, “Because you have been watching her all evening. And she has been watching you.”

 

He didn’t do as his mother advised but he did approach her during the night. What was initially supposed to be a short conversation ended up with him seated by her, laughing and almost breathlessly giddy, conversing with her until the early hours when the last of the court left to sleep off the revels. She was pressed against his side, their heads drawn together as they spoke quietly now and unconsciously, her hand became entwined with his, resting between them.

A serving woman came up to them to take Cassana back to her room and she unlinked their hands with a regretful sigh. He rose with her and there a soft smile upon her face as, so very gently, she pressed a small kiss on his lips and left him there with his breath caught in delight.

 

//

 

On their wedding night, they stood by the foot of the bed in the flickering candle light. She was not nervous and her confidence encouraged him. Her shift was all she was in and it was drawn together with ribbons the same shade as she had worn once in her hair. He grinned at that and finally ( _oh, finally)_ , he tugged them free and she later laughed in a drowsy, contented bliss when he told her about them and she gave him one as a token.

 

 

~ iii ~

 

 _Volantis_ , she thought as she traced the curved path that had been drawn on the map. The last city before they could go home. Her heart swelled at the thought of it. However exciting and wondrous a journey this had been, she missed her children, her home, and was relieved that this was coming to an end. They had been away for too long.

She felt Steffon approach and sure enough he encircled her waist with one arm whilst taking the map from her with the other hand, dropping it off-hand on the table. She smiled as he murmured to her that the city was insight. He was just as eager to finish this, wanting to go back to Storm’s End and see his boys just as much. She thought of how delighted the boys would be with all the things that Steffon had collected on their travels to show them, little souvenirs from every place. The chest that contained these gifts was nearly full to the brim and she found it incredibly endearing.

Cassana turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer to kiss him softly. Soon they would be drawing into the port and meeting potential brides, but for now they could allow themselves a moment together and the map was soon forgotten, having fallen onto the floor when he laid her on the table with that same grin he had on their wedding night and she laughed until from her throat there sounded panted moans.  

 

 

~ iv ~

 

Her heart started to pound in her chest, body twitching on the bed and her eyes flickered behind her eyelids as she slept.

 

She was alone on a bank by a large lake, facing the grey water that was so still that there was not a single ripple. The harder she looked at the water, the darker it got so that it was almost pitch black which was strange as the sky around was so clear and bright. Then a single ripple started from the middle of the lake, more and more following as a shape seemed to emerge. Terror coursed through her and she wanted to run but her feet could not move and the shape that the thing took was that woman whose face was obscured by dark hair except for her mouth. She began to walk towards her and black water was streaming from her and as she stood before her, her mouth opened and water gushed out, spilling like ice at her feet. She screamed but the ground beneath her feet began to shake and crack, black water churning and gushing up and then the woman’s hand was upon her shoulder and pushed and she was falling…

 

//

 

They had just set sail from Volantis without a prospective wife for the prince but not all was a loss. Steffon had acquired a young fool that he had been convinced that he could even make their Stannis smile.  She had chuckled at that, thinking wistfully of their serious boy that had his own private smile just for her.

 

Clear skies greeted them as they sailed swiftly up along the route they had taken before. Although she knew it was but a dream and Steffon had comforted her greatly, she could not shake the fear it had laced within her as their journey home progressed. She sent fervent prayers to the gods and watched the skies intensely as a strange foreboding stirred within the closer they came.

 

//  

 

There is was! Storm’s End was just insight and on the deck of the _Windproud_ , Cassana gripped the side rail as she leaned forward, her heart quickening at the sight. But her joy was overshadowed quickly when her attention was drawn to the gathering clouds above them, the rather sudden darkening of them and she recalled the water from her dream. A sickening alarm overcame her and tightened her chest as the wind picked up and the waves began to hit the ship with greater force.  

The further into the bay they went the stronger the winds became and then the first drops of rain fell steadily till the clouds broke and there was a great groan up above. Thunder broke out, rolling on and on and lightening lanced and lit up the sky. Sailors began to shout at each other and dash around whilst she stood there, soaked to the bone but unable to tear her gaze away from the shore that was so close…

 

//

 

The ship splintered on the rocks, the screeching sound deafening even in the howls of the wind and persistent thunder. Water came surging up and men were dragged overboard by the merciless waves, swallowed into the murky waters. She heard their cries and she saw the fool-boy swept up and away, disappearing from sight. Steffon’s hand clasped hers so tightly she thought he might break her bones and she she could taste blood in her mouth from having bitten her lip in terror. 

 

And then they were falling down, down, down, far beneath the surface and the last thing he remembered was the impression of her hand in his, the brightness of her smile and a pale green ribbon.

_Cassana!_  he yelled with a final breath before the water filled his mouth and lungs and there was nothing but the cold dark.  

 

She broke through the surface, spluttering and gasping for breath. She thrashed and screamed for him but only the storm replied and the sea dragged her under, enveloping her into its suffocating embrace until her heart stopped its rapid beat.  

 

~ v ~

 

Along the shore, bodies had washed up; pale bloated things that made one shiver at the sight. They were collected up on carts and down at the beach, Maester Cressen waited as the last was loaded for that day. When the men passed by, they glanced at him with dismay and shook their heads. No sign of the lord and lady. Cressen nodded and sent them on the way, turning his gaze back to the sea that gurgled and swayed as if pleased by the devastation it had brought. He his eyes stung sharply with tears that fell hotly down his cheek.

 

As he made his way back to the castle, he saw the two oldest boys waiting and the glimmer of hope they had broken his heart. The expression on the Maester’s face extinguished it and it was a most dreadful sight to bear.

 

When it became clear that the sea was no longer giving up its hoarded victims, a grand funeral was held for all those who had perished. There was nothing of their parents to honour, empty biers set up and during it all, Cressen watched the boys as they stared at nothing. Little Renly hardly knew what was happening but the other two were only too aware, their faces were grim and withdrawn. Robert had his fists clenched throughout and Cressen thought that this was the day when Stannis first began to grind his teeth, his jaw moving fast as the Silent Sisters went about their work.

 

~ vi ~

 

Soon the tragedy became another cautionary tale to those that risked going in and out of Shipbreaker Bay. The names of Steffon and Cassana were barely spoken in front of the boys and when Lord Arryn fostered Robert, he was only too glad to leave all of that behind. Renly soon gave up asking questions about his parents to his brothers who turned stiffly away and would not reply. Cressen could only tell him so much and in the end to Renly, they became like the characters from the history books he had to read, distant and barely real to him. Stannis stopped praying to the gods the day he had watched the ship go down. He could not place any faith in deities that could do something as cruel as that. The fool-boy, the only survivor by some strange twist of fate, was kept on at Cressen’s insistence although he babbled nonsense and twitched awfully. He was intended for Stannis despite the fact that the fool could never make him laugh and Cressen wondered sorrowfully if he would ever be able to again.

 

~ vii ~

 

Somewhere, down on the shadowy seabed, a lord and lady were concealed there; turning out their years together in their watery grave.


End file.
